This invention relates generally to eyewear for use in sports and the like; and more particularly to eyewear which is ventilated to reduce or prevent fogging, increase comfort and protect from the wind.
Eyewear used for sports is typically designed to wrap around the user""s face and is sufficiently close to the skin to create a dead air space between the glasses and the user""s face (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cdead spacexe2x80x9d). As the user engages in strenuous activity, the heat and moisture can build up in the dead space, making the glasses uncomfortable to wear and producing condensation on the inside surface of the lenses which can partially or entirely obstruct the vision of the wearer. This phenomenon is commonly known as xe2x80x9cfogging.xe2x80x9d
There have been many prior art methods attempted to reduce or eliminate fogging. Some devices, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,863, describe chemical coatings which can be applied to the inside surface of a lens to alleviate fogging. Such coatings, however, tend to enhance fingerprints caused by handling, and are typically not durable, tending to scratch and wear off when the user cleans the lenses.
Therefore, different types of ventilation have been relied upon to alleviate fogging. Many prior art sunglasses and protective glasses or goggles provide openings in the frame above and below the lenses to allow air to flow in and out. These are not believed to be particularly effective at preventing fogging when a wearer is engaged in particularly strenuous activity, since there is nothing to cause the air to actually flow through the dead space, unless the wearer tilts his head downward towards the ground as he is moving forward to allow the passing air to flow through the perforations in the frame. This is not particularly. desirable when the wearer is moving forward at great speed (for example, when riding a motorcycle) because such action will take the wearer""s eyes off the space in front of his vehicle and may result in an unfortunate accident. Moreover, open apertures will typically allow the ingress of dust and particulate matter into the dead space where it can be blown into the unprotected eyes by the flow of air, which is also very undesirable.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,191,364 and 5,428,411 substantially reduced or eliminated the ingress of dust and particulate matter into the dead space by covering the ventilation apertures with permeable foam, and further addressed the fogging problem with coated and/or double lenses. However, these glasses still suffer from the lack of a motivating force for causing a flow of air through the ventilating apertures without causing the wearer to take his eyes off his direction of travel. Moreover, when the wearer is no longer engaged in active sports, and wishes to simply wear a pair of casual sunglasses to protect the eyes from the effects of sunlight while walking or driving in a closed vehicle, the foam surrounding the eyes combined with decreased airflow may cause an uncomfortable heat build up which discourages the user from wearing such eyewear for casual purposes.
British Patent Specification 364,970 addressed the problem of controlling a flow of air through the dead space by providing a valve which may be adjusted by loosening a screw, rotating an inlet regulating disc to a desired position, and then tightening the screw. This device is not desirable because the user must remove the glasses, produce a screw driver, loosen the screw, rotate the disc, tighten the screw, put the glasses back on and use them at the desired speed to determine if the disc has been rotated to a position which will produce the desired flow under the specific conditions of use. If not, the procedure must be repeated over and over again until the desired flow is obtained.
Accordingly, the need exists for sunglasses and protective glasses which automatically generate a flow of filtered air through the dead space and protects the eyes from particulate matter in the airstream when the user is engaged in active sports.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides eyewear for use in sports and the like having a frame shaped to fit a wearer""s face, the frame having an inner surface, an outer surface, a pair of orbital openings for surrounding the eyes of a wearer, a nose bridge connecting the orbital openings and having a filtered ventilation opening, a lens mounting surface mounting a lens over each orbital opening, and a surface on each side of the frame for attaching temple bars or a strap for supporting the frame on the wearer""s head, and a ventilation liner having a pair of orbital openings connected by a nose bridge of substantially the same size and shape as the orbital openings and nose bridge of the frame, the ventilation liner including a front surface mounted to closely engage the inner surface of the frame, a rear surface, and a channel formed in the nose bridge of the ventilation liner for diverting airflow from the ventilation opening of the frame across an inner surface of each lens, the ventilation liner further including a plurality of filtered upper ventilation grooves across an upper portion of the front surface of each orbital opening of the ventilation liner and a plurality of filtered lower ventilation grooves across a lower portion of the front surface of each orbital opening of the ventilation liner, also for creating airflow across the inner surface of each lens, and a cushion covering said rear surface of said ventilation liner for engaging a wearer""s skin around the eyes.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides eyewear including a frame shaped to fit a wearer""s face having an inner surface, an outer surface, a lens mounting surface for mounting a lens for protecting a wearer""s eyes, at least one lens mounted on said lens mounting surface, a nose bridge for supporting said frame on said wearer""s face, a filtered ventilation opening through a front surface of said frame, and, a surface on each side of the frame for attaching temple bars or a strap for supporting the frame on the wearer""s head, and a ventilation liner mounted to the inner surface of the frame, the ventilation liner having at least one eye aperture of substantially the same size and shape of the aperture formed by the lens mounting surface of the frame for forming a deadspace between the lens and the wearer""s eyes, the ventilation liner further having a front surface closely engaging the inner surface of the frame and extending above a top surface of said frame, the front surface of the ventilation liner including a plurality of filtered upper and lower ventilation grooves, and a channel for directing a flow of air from the filtered ventilation opening in said frame into the deadspace, and said ventilation liner further including a cushion mounted across a rear surface of the ventilation liner for engaging a wearer""s skin to seal the area around the wearer""s eyes.
Other and further objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from reading the Detailed Description of the Invention together with the drawings.